SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I929 IO3 



ate host of the l)loocl fluke. Schistosoma inausoiii that produces the 

 dreaded malady known to the medical fraternity as Ijilharziosis. This 

 mollusk simply swarmed in the little stream, hundreds of them occur- 

 ring in each little pool. Since the African gray monkey which has been 

 here mentioned has been found to share with man the honor of being a 

 host to Scliistosoma, it fairly made one's blood run cold to think of 

 the chance of infecting all the people bathing in or drinking water 

 from this source. EiTorts should be made to eliminate the monkeys 

 and thus prevent stream pollution by them. Likewise efiforts should 

 be made to exterminate the moUusks. 



The climb of Mt. Misery (4.314 ft.) on July 26 from the Belleview 

 estate was a trying one, the slender trail having been wiped out by 

 last year's hurricane, every step in the higher reaches requiring the 

 use of the machete. From a scenic standpoint it was wonderful, every 

 prospect being a joy ; from the molluscan viewpoint it proved quite 

 poor ; tree- and bush-dweller and a few leafmold-inhabiting species 

 furnishing the bulk of our catch. 



On July 2/ we visited Nevis which proved to be one of our best col- 

 lecting grounds, yielding thousands of specimens of land shells of 

 quite a host of species ; even fresh water mollusks. Flaiiorbis and 

 PJiysa, occurred abundantly in small pools. 



On Montserrat I gathered quite a large number of land mollusks 

 on the mountain side and a lot of fresh water things from a small 

 stream at its base, and at 9:30 p. m. we left for Guadeloupe Island, 

 stopping at Grande Terre. the island abutting Guadeloupe on its east 

 side. This is a recently elevated limestone bank teeming with land 

 mollusks, their abundance reminding one of the Cuban magote fauna. 



A startling feature was the water supply of the southeastern part — 

 usually funnel-like depressions, natural or scooped out of the soil 

 which are filled 1)y rains during the wet season and gradually become 

 contracted as the use of the water by man and beast and evaporation 

 diminishes their contents. These pools are stocked with aquatic 

 plants and harbor a good assemblage of freshwater mollusks, the 

 Apple snail, Pliysa, and Planorbis; of the latter several species were 

 most al)undant among which is Planorbis gitadahtpoisis which occurs 

 in such prodigious numbers in most of these pools that the dead shells 

 form a veritable pavement on its shores. 



What dangers the people wading in these ponds or drinking their 

 polluted and unfiltered water may run can only lie determined by a 

 medical examination of the natives, the setting for Bilharzia being 

 perfect. 



